The Seishin Story

It all began in the dojo.

After ripping yet another karate gi, Jesse Enkamp - karate blogger and self-titled "karate nerd" - discussed with his buddy why there was no better karate uniform out there.

It seemed like most karate uniforms on the market weren't made for "regular" karate people who trained hard and enjoyed to sweat!

Having tried tons of brands during his years as instructor, never being fully satisfied with the feeling, function, form, fabric, cut or style - they decided something had to be done.

It was time to make a new gi: by karate people, for karate people.

"The People's Gi".

And so it began...

In a hard quest for reverse engineering the "ultimate" karate gi, the journey went to Okinawa - the birthplace of karate - where samples and ideas were collected of what worked (and what didn't work), through meeting living legends and grandmasters of the art.

Gradually, a new kind of gi took shape.

The Seishin Gi.

A gi forged in the timeless fire of Okinawa's karate spirit.

The project finally led to an online crowdfunding campaign, where 7 730 visitors from 73 countries quickly made the Seishin karate suit a reality through their amazing support for this unique innovation of Okinawa.

Seishin was a smash hit!

In just a few weeks, $27 130 had been raised - proving the fact that people all around the world had longed for a new kind of karate gi based on the passion, knowledge and trust of real karate practitioners - just like them.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Today, Seishin is growing faster than ever. With innovation, tradition and teamwork being the three cornerstones upon which the Seishin vision rests, karate people around the world are discovering that there is such a thing as a "better" karate gi now.

The era of outdated karate brands deciding how you should enjoy karate is over!

It's time for Seishin.

Welcome!

"The difference between Seishin and other brands? We're not a brand. We're not even "masters". We're just karate enthusiasts who got tired of searching for the best gi on the planet - so we decided to make our own. People say we succeeded. Find out for yourself!"

What People Say

"What I can say - AMAZING!"

- Dr. Lucio Maurino, multiple-times WKF world champion, Italy

"Outstanding material (first touch was: "Wow"). Very light, incredible feeling of having no restriction of movement and one hundred ideas of what to put in my secret pocket (my wife suggested chocolate!) Bigger problem: I have two Tokaido Gi that I don't want to wear anymore..."

- Cla Gleiser, proud karate father, Switzerland

"Our first tournament success in our new Seishin Gi. Brilliant Gi, fantastic cut and so snappy. Seishin is going to be huge! P.S. Had so many positive comments on the logo!"

- Dan Carter & Caitlin O' Connor, future champions, UK

"What I love about the gi is the feel of the fabric, the incredible level of detail (the air vents, the little pocket in the vest, the stitchings, the Seishin logo) and the general luxurious look and feel. The pants are incredible (high waist, the way to tie them, the front loops etc.) and they fit nicely."

- Danny Van den Bossche, enjoyer of life, Belgium

"I love it! It's light and airy, extremely comfortable; and yet crisp when doing kata. It is unlike any other gi I have put on. There are a whole selection of improvement features, each one an amazement. The material and fitting are probably the ones that stick out the most. I recommend Seishin to anyone."

- Iain McMullen, shotokan ace, Canada

"I have owned 6 Karate Gi in my 20 years of training and every single one has needed altering to fit properly. So imagine my total surprise when I tried on the Seishin and WOW I cant believe it, it fits like a goddamn glove…!!!!! perfect leg length, shorter sleeves and so comfortable. I have to say its the best Gi I have ever bought and am now wishing I had bought two..!!!!!!"

- Jamie Pilcher, happy karate-ka, UK

"It's light, unconstricting, and has a good snap. I love the vent holes! I've never felt a gi that is so comfortable. It's like I'm not wearing gi pants at all!"

- Josh Bornia, electrical engineer, Canada

"More comfortable than a shureido NW3, lighter than a shureido kc-10, and good snap!"

- Josh Pigeon, dojo instructor, Canada

"It's 11:30 pm. I have literally been running around my apartment in the Seishin gi for 2 hours now. It's AWESOME! Super comfortable, looks great and snaps like crazy. Can't wait to show my sensei!"

- Matthias Golinski, karate nerd, Germany

"Had my gi a week now, and today's test was 100 rounds of kumite for a fundraiser at our club. An extremely comfortable gi for training in, particularly the high waist trousers."

- Peter Sundby, ass-kicker, UK

"I must say, it's the best gi I ever bought. Perfect fit, so no extra expense of getting it tailored to fit right. Lighter weight than I expected...... A huge plus. Feels great and practicing kata in it was fantastic! I'd say you have the best gi on the market by far."

- Richard Langenstein, 7th dan kyoshi, USA

"Japanese cut and advanced, Western-flavoured, product development: Seishin is the ultimate Gi if you are serious about Karate. Here tradition and competition merge in a single entity: no matter if you are Funakoshi's last heir or Luca Valdesi's direct successor, Seishin Karategi is the armour for your relentless fighting spirit!"

- Alessandro Timmi, biomechanical engineer, Italy

"While the material is somewhat lighter than I thought it might be, the fit and finish are top quality; I particularly like the bottoms. I really appreciate the high waist and the 4 loops are a nice touch. The small pleat is a nice touch, providing just that extra bit of room. I like the fit of the jacket. The construction appears to be well done and the details, like the vents, are appreciated. I don’t have experience with multiple brands, in fact only Shureido, but the Seishin compares well with what I have experienced. Clearly I like it enough to purchase a 2nd! I get comments from members of my dojo each time I wear it to train."

- Steve Vickery, karate enthusiast, USA

"How exciting! The Seishin gi feels good to the hand, seams look really strong, nice bright white color (without the tokaido "old lady hairdo blue"). Is much lighter than past gi's. New and unwashed it has some snap and structure for such a light gi. Jacket fit - Feels great through the shoulders and waist, arm length is perfect. Length is right on! After little training i noticed that the jacket stayed closed at the chest better than my other jackets do, A good thing since nobody needs to see my 50 year old chest after three bunkai. Pant fit - A revelation! I love the high waist. and the size is spot on. They can shrink a little and still be ok, I actually like my pants just above the ankles. In the past I would split sizes to get my pants to fit correctly. Yours fit without it! WOOHOO!"